The Cuban Me Method - Urinating hands to protect your skin

[ATALAKIMBAMBA]

Community,today I´ve been re reading some old files and found this article about the cuban ol´shcool players that somehow, droping urine on their hands, improved skin care and provided great tone when playing. Wonder if it´s true, I suposse so, because I´ve read it in several web sites...To the elders out there...How do this works??? Do you recommend it? I´m totally serious about this, beacuse my playin´is really hard to my hands ( tumbadoras plus candombe ). Blessings to you all, el maja.

[Bataboom]

I would think jergins or something with aloe would have more moisterizing content and chemical balance than taking a wiz on yo palms.
try corn huskers lotion, unless your dead set on peeing on your hands

[ABAKUA]

Yes its an old method.
When your hands are not cut open, the first urine of the morning, pee on your hands, shake it off, let dry, then once completly dry, wash hands.
The natural acids in your body that gather overnight are great for conditioning your hands, they become conditioned and hardened without having over calloused hands.

Its not about putting cream on to soften your hands, its about getting your hands hard and conditioned to the drum.
Depending on your technique, you should not have over calloused hands.

[pcastag]

I agree, best way to protect your hands is by using good technique!
PC

[OLSONGO]

Its the technique, I have been playing all kinds of hand drums for 30 years and you could't tell. I was thought to hit the drum with a martial arts technique, which deals with the whole body inner and outer, not just the palm of your hand. There is no callouses on the hands, there is a slight roughness on the surface, but no bunching up of the skin.

[bongoron]

When I had my trash business, I spent everyday wearing leather roping gloves. The acids in those really roughened up my hands. Now that I work in a wire factory, I still wear weightlifters gloves, and my fingers are toughened by handling the wire as I thread my machine. I have to agree with the toughness aspect. I use a lanolin based product called diaper-do to condition the heads, and it does little to soften my hands. The heads really soak it in, but it seems to stay on my palms and fingers until I wipe it off. I rarely use a hand lotion for the hands themselves...very rare, and only on the insistance of my wife.

God bless!

-Ron

[OLSONGO]

Yes but there's something about getting your hands acoustomed to the drum, what I mean is to let the hands become hard as one with the drum,a secondary thing; first comes technique and getting the appropiate sound of the drum, you must feel the drum. You can have a lumberjack with the hardest rough hands try to play congas for the first time, first he couldn't give you consistant tone no less a powerful smack and second his hands will hurt for a while. Technique is the key.

[JohnnyConga]

Pissing on your hands is a JOKE!....the ol timers told us to do that to mess with us.....u can explain all u want about acidity and stuff, but along with Olsongo ..."technique" is No.1...and I too because of my past Martial art training also apporached the drums with a Bruce Lee mentality("be water,my friend").......and it has worked for me for 40 years...."JC" Johnny Conga...

[ATALAKIMBAMBA]

REPRINT OF CHRIS' INTERVIEW WITH CHANGUITO AND TATA GUINES

Excerpts from Percussion Discussion reprinted from Rhythm Music Magazine Spring 1998 Interview with Changuito and Tata Guines...Cuban conga pioneers......
.....One of his tips on may strike students as bizarre, but Changuito swears by it. "My father taught me, when you wake up in the morning, to urinate on the hand and let it dry well before washing it," he says. "I have 41 years playing percussion, and look at my hands. [They are smooth, with no calluses.] My dad has these same hands. This strengthens the layers of skin beneath the outside layer of the hand."........ Well, here`s what I`ve found from changuito, what do you have to say about that?...just sharing, peeps!!!
...el maja, de meadera!!!

[ABAKUA]

Yes, Ive had discussions about this with numberous congueros including Egui Castrillo - (Former conguero of Arturo Sandoval), Daniel Lopez (Albita, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin and former student of Anga), Anga (no introduction needed!), Papiosco (conguero of Cuibanismo, Klimax etc) Johnny Almendra, Louis Bauzo, and many many others, all have made mention of the accuracy of the urine theory/method.

To touch on Atal's comments, in the instructional video with Changuito and Giovanni, Changuito also mentions the urine on the hands method.



Edited By ABAKUA on 1148283154

[Charangaman]

Well regardless of the science I think we can all agree that pissing on ones hands every morning would be a logistical nightmare..

[niallgregory]

all you have to do is go on the beer and get really sloshed and its a dead cert youll pee on your hands at some stage during the evening

[ATALAKIMBAMBA]

all you have to do is go on the beer and get really sloshed and its a dead cert youll pee on your hands at some stage during the evening

.......wua ja jua jua jajaja jajajajajaja......you joker.... :p :O :laugh: ...el meado...

[OLSONGO]

Atala.
Muy bien, you know that our cultures have many cutoms, "costumbres" and if anyone wants to follow a particular custom, everyone is welcome. But first I would analize what is that you are
urinating your hands with, not everyones urine is the same. Urine in most cases is acidic and varies on the persons diet. Acids takes away natural oils. Some of our hands let out a lot of acid, and if you don't mantain the drum head, cleaning it and applying some natural oil.There goes the head, and I have seen many play on gone heads. Natural oils keep the skin playable.

[Duke]

Hi all,
Peeing on your hands, I have to agree with JC it’s a bit of a myth. There is only one way and one way only and that is many many many many hundreds of hours practice to develop and refine your technique. In reference to the Gio and Changuito discussion they merely talk about peeing on your hands was what some of the old timers used to do and they further go on to say it is all about the development of technique. Hey if you feel the urge to wee on your hands to get a better sound and dynamic from your playing go ahead, but I don’t hear of Djembe players, piano players guitarists, kit players peeing on their hands/fingers or horn players peeing on their lips or do singers drink a nice warm glass of pee in the morning to sooth their vocal chords, guys I have been playing professionally for many years and I have excellent technique and I have to tell you it is not from peeing on my hands every morning, but I must admit that I have to have my morning coffee every day – hmmmmm I wonder if that’s how I got my good technique (only joking). Brothers and sisters it takes years of practice and dedication.
Just my two bobs worth.
Cheers
Duke